Our Environment Contents

1. Evolution

Human evolution

Ape skeletons

It is believed that our common line split from gibbons 15-20 million years ago, from orangutans 14 million years ago and from our nearest living relatives - African apes, chimpanzees and gorillas - 4 -6 million years ago. Unfortunately the hominoid fossil record is very sparse between 20 million years and 3.6 million years ago.

How did the earliest human populations originate?